Lennox Head Landcare, June 2018

The houses are ‘moving in’ and the cows are ‘moving out’.Lennox is a changing town, there’s no question about that, but as those excavators get closer to the paddock next door I can’t help but wonder what this change is going to mean for our local wildlife.

I love living with a little nature at the doorstep. Waking to the sound of the kookaburras, watching the fairy-wrens flit through the overgrown grass while the washing gets hung, dodging the tree-frogs on the driveway when it rains, and then there’s the unexpected encounters with the tawny frogmouths on the late night bin runs!These everyday nature moments make living here that bit more special (well for me they do).

A wildlife carer once said to me that ‘houses are better for wildlife than farms’.This was purely an opinion, which not everyone would agree with, but the point they were making was that ‘a bunch of good gardens’ could provide better habitat than a farm.

So, with that thought in mind and some hope that the local wildlife will survive the change as Lennox develops, this month we bring you tips on how you can help our wildlife adapt by creating habitat in your garden.

Tip 1. Grow Food

Try to plant species which are local to Lennox, our wildlife are used to feeding on these.

Include a variety of plants which produce different foods types, such as nectar, fruits, berries and seeds.

A good way to get free local natives plants is to harvest the natives that pop up in your garden, when they’re small you’ll be able to transplant these wherever you like!

Tip 2. Make Shelter

Place rocks, boulders or logs around for lizards and frogs to shelter in.

Leave some leaf litter and fallen branches around – this is habitat for invertebrates and insects, and feeding areas for frogs, lizards, small mammals and ground birds.

Get a mix of tree, shrub and ground plants happening. Small birds in particular are very dependant on a dense shrub layer, without this they are vulnerable to predators.

If you’re not a fan of the unwanted wildlife, remember to keep shelter areas away from your house.

Tip 3. Give Water

Wildlife needs water, consider putting in a frog pond or bird bath and do your best to keep these topped up.

Tip 4. Lean and Learn

Lean on people who know stuff.There are a number of good native nurseries around that will help you plan your habitat garden. And we’re always here to help identify local plants.

The Ballina Shire Urban Garden Guide is a great place to start if you want to learn more, you can find this on Council’s website.

Time will tell if houses are better than farms for wildlife in Lennox – meanwhile saving our local creatures from mass destruction sounds like a great excuse to spend some time in the garden.

And by the way, no offence if yours is a house replacing the cows, indeed welcome to town and please come and join us at Landcare sometime!

Landcare dates for June

(Times are 8:30am to 10:30am)

Wed 6thLake Ainsworth – southwest corner

Wed 13thBoulder Beach – Coast Rd car park

Wed 20thRoss Lane – Fig Tree Hill Dr carpark

Wed 27thBoulder Beach – Coast Rd car park

For further info, see www.lennoxheadlandcare.org; email lennoxheadlandcare@gmail.com, phone Shaun on 0448 221 210 or find us on Facebook Lennox Head Landcare.